


Summer’s Charm

by HomesickAlien



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Gen, The hero and erik’s love exists in the background, very mild all game spoilers read at your own risk and all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25695346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomesickAlien/pseuds/HomesickAlien
Summary: A calm night passing without sleep.
Relationships: Emma | Gemma & Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	Summer’s Charm

Sometimes, the Hero wonders if he and Gemma aren’t really twins after all.

Of course, they can’t be. He knows as much. But they always seem to be moving in tune with one another. On evenings where the Hero can’t sleep, Gemma is always waiting for him at the base of the tree. And in the times he’s frustrated with himself, she always has something good to say to him.

Maybe she could do to be a little more bitter at him. He still has trouble forgiving himself, for everything that happened in Cobblestone, even if he was just following his parents wishes, ignorant of the rest of the world. The way things are now, it feels like a dream, but it doesn’t really change the regrets. She tells him the obvious, but it’s hard not to fixate on the things that can’t be helped.

Perhaps the quiet is more troublesome. It’s hard to readjust to the mundane life here and now.

_Erik says… It’s a little boring. That we should take an adventure out of the village sometime. I think you should come, too._

She giggles humorously at the thought, truly it’s something she’s always secretly wanted. To go on an adventure, a journey full of excitement and adrenaline, or just to see another side of their great big world. Everyone falls true to the desire to run from home someday, if she were just to step outside the village without looking back, she wonders how far she’d get…

In some ways, that’s exactly what they’re doing, wandering just outside the village. Unable to sleep, and thoughts spinning silently like the earth that follows the sun. The evening sky is so much clearer, so gentle and warm as is the days just before summer. It reminds him of the time they— his old party of companions— had spent around the campfires in his travels. The merry nights of acting foolish before difficult battles, enjoying the moment without a care for the morrow. 

_It would be fun to camp outside together, too. I like looking at the stars before I sleep._

Not just the clear skies, but getting to see the World Tree in all it’s beauty returned is also a pleasant sight. It brings him peace, the way Yggdrasil beats through the empty hole in his heart, still something missing yet never fully lost. The same as the mark on his hand that’s always warm over his skin. Playing the Hero was fun for a while, but right now, domestic life has it’s own joys. 

Yggdrasil and it’s light are a distant thought in his mind, but it would be nice to visit the dragon once again.

“The world sure is big, isn’t it?” She says with a warm face, “I bet there’s places even you never explored before.”

It’s hard to imagine. Even the memory of the journey has his legs weak from all the walking, the traversing, the climbing and crawling around all of Erdrea… Being able to sit at home all afternoon is a strange blessing, even if he still has the itch for adventure. He can’t really trace out in his mind what places he’d missed, Erik has a better perception than him when it comes to these things, but he’s also the one who’s always going off course, finding trouble for himself. 

Between the three of them, he’s sure there’d be a nice balance. Even if he’d gone all the same places, there’s always something new to see together. Really, the destination doesn’t matter at all, as long as they’re all together, every moment feels so brand new.

It’s hard for him to share the joy with his heart always racing ahead of him, but even on the nights where sleep eludes him, this is good by him.

“Wow, you really kept that all this time!”

Gemma points out her charm at the Hero’s side, and he nods in response. If anything, looking at it makes him feel nostalgic, like it were just yesterday he’d been told he were a legendary hero. Like it were just yesterday that they had spent a similarly sleepless night just the same as tonight, pondering their futures without one another.

“It’s in real good condition, too. Even after all that fighting you did?”

The Hero nods again, much more passionately. There’s no way he could disrespect something so important to him. It is, perhaps, the only object of his that has sustained such an arduous journey. Even in his most hopeless moment, her presence in spirit has brought him peace. _It was a really nice gift._

“I should make another gift like that, to celebrate your homecoming. We should make one for Erik, too.”

His eyes light up like a child’s would, she doesn’t even have to ask _if_ he’d like to help or _if_ Erik would like something like that, too. She’s got a good read on people, but Eleven is one she can even read the mind of. It’s a real bonus for him, to be able to ease his shoulders and be entirely himself with her. A friend like that is itself a once-in-a-lifetime gift.

“What fun! We can start making them tomorrow. Oh, I bet the kids would have fun helping, too!”

 _They’re always getting in the way._ Eleven smirks. Gemma and him were a lot worse, when they were kids, but the ones growing up in the village now can be just as crude. Really, he’s never felt like such an old man until coming home, he can’t keep up with them at all. They look up to _the legendary Hero of Cobblestone,_ of course they want to play and train with him like heroes in the making, but the _legendary Hero_ now just wants to sleep in in peace these days.

But it’s a nice feeling, to grow up and become like his guardians. He wonders sometimes what it would take to convince Erik they should have some of their own. Actually, Erik makes a better parent than he does, a bit of an unfair headstart having a younger sister to look after, Eleven thinks. 

These thoughts are better for dreaming than those that keep him up in the night. He can feel a yawn coming against his will; Tugging at Gemma’s hand he starts the short walk back home. It’s so familiar he can traverse the path with his eyes closed, a soft smile washing over his face, allowing himself to take in the moment as it is. Without any mind to it at all.

This is the best part of coming home, of being home. There’s still a lot to experience here. _Maybe Gemma and Erik can go see the world without me._

No way she’d accept that, but it’s a fun image after all. For now, all this is fine enough for him. Her hand in his is enough for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, comment, be safe and be kind.
> 
> Originally, I was writing about the shyness, because I am also like this I don’t really talk much, I just write silly fics. Still, I like comments, so I was thinking of ways to maximize those. I thought a good conversation starter would resolve this, so if you comment, please tell me what a better game dragon quest 11 would be without the men. (joke)
> 
> I actually said once that I wanted Mia to be my cool fighting best friend and Erik to be my moral support cheerleader, but I also think Gemma would be a superior knight to Hendrik. Who do I replace Rab with? If I could figure out how to get Marina to join my party, I Would Have. So please tell me about the ideal party of women.


End file.
